Steam-engine.



PATENTED 'MAY 26V, 1903.

W. SUTCLIPFE.

STEAM ENGINE.

APPLIOATION rILnD AUG. 2. 1902.

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PATENTED MAY ze, 1903.

W. SUTCLIFFE.

STEAM ENGINE.

APPLIOATION :FILED AUG. 2. 1902.

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No. i7529,10'7.

UNITED STATES Patented May 26, 1903.

VILLIAM SUTCLIFFE, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

iSTEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 729,107, dated May 26, 1903.

Application led August 2, 1902.

To /ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SUTOLIEEE, a citizen of the United States,residing in Paterson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain newand useful Improvement in Steam-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction and arrangement of parts in a compound engine, and more particularly to the valve gear or mechanism by which motion is imparted to the valves.

The object of the invention is to simplify the valve-gear and provide a construction which shall be efcient, durable,and not liable to derangement.

The invention consists in certain details of construction and arrangements of parts to be hereinafter described.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and show the invention as I have carried it out.

Figure l is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, showing a double compound engine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a corresponding front view with certain parts removed; and Fig. 3 is a corresponding end View or plan,partly in horizontal section. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section and plan view showing a portion of the valve-gear on a larger scale. Fig. 5 is a side View showing a detail of construction.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the gures.

I will describe the invention as applied to a double compound engine especially designed for motor-vehicle service, consisting of four cylinders arranged side by side with their axes in the sanne plane, the high-pressure cylinders A' A2 being adjacent to each other and between the low-pressure cylinders A3 A4. The four cylinders, with their crosshead guides Ai A1j and supports AS for the main shaft C, are preferably formed in a single casting and are so shown in the drawings. The rear heads A10 and A11 for the high and low pressure cylinders, respectively, are removable and are held in place by studs and bolts, as usual.

A steam-chest D for each high-pressure cylinder-'and a steam-chest D2 for each lowpressure cylinder are mounted upon the front seria No. 118,046. (No man.)

faces of such cylinders and are closed by the chestecovers D5 D4, secured to the chests and cylinders by studs D5. The valve-seats are plane and provided with slide-valves D6 D7, operated by valve -stems D8 D", extending through stuffing-boxes D10 on the steamchests, as usual. All the valve-seats are in the same plane, and the D-valves are so constructed as to bringall the stems in the same vertical plane with each other.

On the uppermost of each pair of guides A5 A6 is cast an upwardly-projecting lug or arm having a rectangular head A9, finished interiorly to receive and guide a rectangular block E, parallel and in line with the valvestern for its respective cylinder, and is joined to its stem by a bar E, keyed thereto and flexibly connected by a joint e to the sliding block E.

The pistons are of any ordinary or approved construction adapted to be reciprocated in the cylinders by the action of the steam or other elastic medium employed. Only one-the low-pressure pistou F2-is shown, with one of the piston-rods F4. The pistou-rods extend through stuffing boxes and glands on the closed front heads of the Several cylinders and join the cross-heads B1, only one being shown, by any suitable connections.

The shaft C, with the cranks C', C2, C3, and C4, is preferably sectional, as shown. Each pair of cranks is opposite to another and all are quartering, as shown. The shaft is revolubly held to the arms A8 by straps A12, partially encircling the shaft and secured to the arms by gibs and keys. The straps and arms may be equipped with brasses, if preferred.

G', G2, G3, and G1 are connecting-rods from their respective cross-heads to the cranks and join the latter by solid ends, as shown.

I provide a valve motion for each cylinder and connect them together to be operated by a single lever. (Not shown.) A transverse rod A15 extends across below the cylinders, supported at each end in lugs A14 on the under side of each low-pressure cylinder. The rod carries four downwardly-extending links J4, one beneath each cylinder, forming part of the motion. The latter is arranged in two sets joined together, one for each pair of cylinders, and as each set is a counterpart of the other a description of one will suffice. The

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links J4 are knuckled to the lower ends of a pair of swinging levers K2, the upper ends of which are bifurcated at k2 and inclose each its corresponding connecting-rod at about the mid-length of the latter and are pivotally secured thereto by pins h4. Below each junc' tion is set a pin K4, on which are centered the links L2, the upper ends of which are pivoted at Z2 to the ends of a pair of upwardly-extending rods M2, the upper ends of which are knuckled to the lower ends of the slide-blocks E, free to reciprocate in the heads A2, as before described.

A16 is a lug on each arm A8, carrying a short transverse shaft R, carrying on its overhung ends two upwardly-extending arms R2, to which are pivotally connected the links O2 by means of a short transverse shaft N, also carrying a hub or collar P, lying betweenthe links R2, and having an arm or reach-rod P l adapted to be engaged by any suitable connection to the corresponding reach-rod of the other set and both sets, operated by a single hand-lever located at any convenient point. The links O2 extend downwardly and are pivotally connected to the links L2 at the points Z4 below the pins Z2. The shaft N, through its connections to the reverse-lever, (not shown,) may be moved inwardly or outwardly about the shaft R as a center and the valves correspondingly moved into such relation to the other parts of the motion as to turn the main shaft C forward or backward, as required.

The operation of the valve-motion is as follows: Referring for convenience of description to one side of one set, the reciprocation of the cross-head B4 in combination with the rotary motion of the crank C4induces a gyratory movement of the point 7a4 and causes it to move in an elliptical path. The pin K4 describes a somewhat similar but shorter ellipse and imparts its motion to the link L2, which acts as a lever fulcru med at Z4, the short arm of which from Z4 to Z2 produces through its connections a short reciprocating Inovement of the valve and admits and cuts off steam at the proper intervals. In order to change the position of the point Z4, and thus allow for changing the direction of the engine, the shaft N, connected to the reverse-l lever, (not shown,) may be moved by the reach-rod P', as indicated. When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. l, the engine will run to revolve the main shaft in the direction indicated by the arrow, and when moved inwardly to the position indicated by the dotted line X the revolution will be reversed. In both positions the steam follows to the limit provided for by the motion. In approaching the center line X from either direction the engine cuts off shorter, and when the center of the shaft N coincides with the line X the cnt-o will be at the shortestabout one-tenth of the stroke when proportioned as shown in the drawings. A peculiar advantage of this form of valve-gear is the "maior uniformity of lead and lap, inside and out=` side, at all points of expansion. The valve gear is of simple construction, being composed of simple leverandlink connections preferably joined by pins to avoid the use of bolts and nuts liable to work loose by vibration and avoids the complications and expensive construction of the usual link-motions. The removal of the valve-gear is eifected by taking out the pins connecting the several links J 4 to the levers K2, removing the cross-head pins, the shafts N, and the pins at the junctions of the links M2 with their slides E, and the gibs and keys holding the straps A12 to the arm A8. The main shaft, with its cranks and connecting-rods and the systems of links and levers constituting the valve-motion,with the exception of the short shafts R and arms R2, may be then all taken out together for inspection or repairs and again replaced.

The several pins and short shafts are held against accidental displacement by split keys W, inserted therein and partially received in corresponding retainin g-washers W', as shown in Fig. 5.

In order' to resist side strains in the valvemotion, the outer end of each lever K2 is forked, as shown in Fig. it, to give the pins 154 substantial bearings on each side of the main connecting-rods, and thus relieve the pins from strains tending to induce friction and wear.

Although I have described the invention as adapted to serve in motor-vehicles and similar situations, it will be understood that it will serve successfully in locomotive or marine or stationary engineering under any conditions to which it may be adapted.

All the parts and equipments not specifically described may be understood to be of any ordinary or approved construction.

I claim- 1. The combination of the valve-motion described consisting of the links J4, levers K2 connected thereto and to the main connecting-rods of an engine, the levers L2 and links O2 and arms R2, and rods M2, slide-blocks E and connections from the latter to the valves, with an engine-frame having the lugs A45, A9 and A1G carrying said motion, all substantially as herein specified.

2. The valve-motion described consisting of the links J4, levers K2 connected thereto and to the main connecting-rods of an engine, the levers L2 and links O2 and arms R2, and rods M2, slide-blocks E and connections from the latter to the valves, in combination with the cylinders, guides, and shaft-supporting arms ofa compound engine all in a single casting and having the lugs A45, A9 and A16 cast integral therewith and carrying said motion, all substantially as herein specified.

8. In a valve-motion for steam-engines, the link .I4 pivotally joined at one end to the engine-frame, the lever K2 pivotally connected to the other end of said link and having the forked end 7a2 and pin 7a4 by which it is con- IZO heated to the main connecting-rod received in said fork, the pin K1 on said lever carrying one end of a link L2, the pin Z2 at the other end of the latter and connections therefrom to the valve, the pin Z4 and shaft N, and link O2 between them, the arm R2 pivotally conneeted to the engine-frame at one end and at lthe other to said shaft N, and means for moving the shaft N to control the direction and 1o extent of movement of said valve, all combined and arranged to serve substantially as herein specified.

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I affix my signature in pres ence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM SUTCLI FFE.

Witnesses:

CHARLES R. SEARLE, C. E. ABERT. 

